The BBC has launched its own online search engine in a move that is sure to enrage commercial rivals such as Yahoo!, Ask Jeeves and Alta Vista.

The new service, available from the main BBC.co.uk site, will allow users of the site to search the entire web from within the confines of the BBC website for the first time.

However, the launch has sparked controversy among commercial search engines and particularly among companies such as E-Spotting and Overture, which rely on charging companies for a prominent web listing.

The BBC's head of new media, Katherine Everett, said the BBCi search fulfilled a clear need in the market.

"People are wary of being marketed at and having stuff pushed onto them. The BBC is in a unique position to help people feel comfortable on the web," she said.

A survey commissioned by the BBC to tie in with the launch showed eight out of 10 people believed that existing web searches could be better and that more than seven out of 10 didn't know some search engines included pay-for-placement results.

The suggestion that search engines are biased is likely to cause fury among sites that provide such a service and who insist any paid-for results are clearly marked and that, because they have been paid for and checked for relevance, are more likely to be useful to users.

The search engine, developed in-house by the BBC in conjunction with Google, will deliver several layers in results and is designed to be particularly useful for those new to the web.

It will use an optimised version of Google, screened for unsavoury sites, while also listing results from within the BBC.co.uk and BBC News sites.

"It is quite clear that the current search marketplace doesn't have the needs of internet users at its heart," said Ashley Highfield, the director of BBC New Media.

"The BBC, with its 80 years of know-how and editorial expertise, is ideally placed to provide a UK-focused search engine that will not be tainted by paid-for results."

"Given that 90% of respondents to the independent survey stated they would use the BBC search engine, and that a similar number said they would prefer unbiased search, it is evidently something that people want," he added.